rendering

edp [pod] competition – entry #2

see previous post for exhibit details and link.

edp [pod] competition – entry #1

Next week will be an exhibit at LIT for the EDP [POD] Competition. The idea behind the competition is, throughout the year, EDP hosts several design competitions and has always had problems with how to display the work in various spaces with all manner of attachments (i.e. hooks, putty, screws, string, you name it they’ve tried it). So, for this competition, the goal is to create a collapsible portable display that can be cheaply constructed and easily stored for multiple uses. Here is my first solution:

mod pod prototype

I like to check out several Architectural news websites during the week to try and stay abreast of the current trends in architectural design. One of them that I go to frequently is Fresh Arch News. They post all sorts of news on architecture, design, furniture, products and all around wacky stuff. And while scanning the latest crazy posts a couple of weeks ago I got some inspiration for a new modern dwelling. This is the idea that became mod pod prototype.
In the next couple of weeks I’ll be developing the floor plan to match the rendered structure you see below. Some things that I will investigate are:
How do we use the traditional home?
Do the traditional ideas about “home” still apply in today’s technologically advanced world of iPhones, laptops, micrwaves and flat screen tv’s?
If the traditional home is no more, what replaces it?
What does tomorrow’s home look like today?

Baltimore Infill Survey on Flikr

With this small project I took a photo of a large vacant lot in the Baltimore area and proposed a contemporary building consisting of live/work lofts. I chose to use brick, stucco, aluminum storefront and enameled metal panels. The overall composition is much like a jig-saw puzzle with pieces pushed or pulled here and there to create a dynamic facade that tries to bring people in from the sidewalk. The choice of materials came from a desire to mimic the existing town homes adjacent with brick, but also to break from the traditional building form in a way that is completely modern, but still fits in the surrounding neighborhood.